Shell Continues With Arctic Drilling Plan Despite Setbacks

Since at least 2012, multinational oil and gas company Shell has been trying to drill off the coast of Alaska in the Chukchi Sea. And since then, the multibillion-dollar company has encountered problem after problem.

And while all signs point to Shell continuing on with its new drilling plan, this go around has also had its roadblocks, the first of which weighs 4,000 pounds and has two very large tusks hanging from its mouth.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a letter to Shell saying the oil company cannot drill with two different rigs simultaneously if the drills are less than 15 miles apart in the Chukchi Sea.

Predictably, Shell has also dealt with protests from environmentalists. When one of its oil rigs bound for Alaska docked in Seattle, a group of protesters in kayaks circled the rig. (Video via KOMO)

And just this week, Shell discovered a gash in one of its support vessels, though Shell says this won't affect its drilling schedule — a schedule that's particularly tight. The company has to do its drilling in the summer before the water freezes over.